The early parliamentary elections in France held at the turn of June and July brought an unexpected triumph for the fresh People's Front – an alliance of the most crucial leftist groups in the country. The coalition won 193 tickets, more than any another list, but well below the absolute majority (289). At the end of July, after more than 2 weeks of intense negotiations and interior pushes, the left announced a joint candidate for the office of Prime Minister. It fell on Luca Castets – a little-known 37-year-old social activist and manager of the finance office at the Paris City Hall, which at the time of its appointment did not even have its own website on Wikipedia.
Her opponents described this decision as a evasion of coalition leaders, who, incapable to get along and wanting to avoid an imaged embarrassment, in awe announced a random name. Castets herself, however, declares that she is taking her mission fatally seriously, and supporters of this candidacy match president Macro's political path, initially besides a little-known wider audience. For now – due to Olympic Games – there is simply a political truce announced by Macron, during which the outgoing Prime Minister Gabriel Attal remains at the head of the government. Castets focuses on intensive campaigning, traveling around French towns and broadcasting in the media to build public support that will force the president to appoint her as the leader of the government.
An perfect activist and apolitical expert in one
A comparatively tiny figure is inactive known about the character of the nominee for the left-wing alliance. Only a fewer days ago, with an interview with Paris MatchCastets confessed to having a wife and child. Her episode in organization politics was rather ephemeral. She was a associate of the Socialist organization for respective years, from which she competed for a local assembly in Normandy. Although PS's ranks were allegedly to leave in an act of opposition to president Holland's policy, she remained a close associate of the socialist mer of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, in which the (catastrophic) presidential run engaged in 2022. For a more extremist faction of the French left from the sign of humble France Jean-Luca MelanchonaCastets was acceptable as an advocate for an agreement on this side of the political scene, associated with the left wing of the PS. By Michel Bompard, the “indebted” was praised as “not embodying any NFP organization more than the others”, which expresses the most crucial component of its carefully nurtured image.
Indeed, for most of her career Castets was primarily a social woman, from the beginning active in public service. Left-wing weekly “L’Obs” defined its profile as ‘technology-involved’, i.e. combining the characteristics of an ideological activist and apolitical expert. Castets' experience includes work in the French consulate in Shanghai, the planet Bank, the Treasury Agency of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and another state agencies. He besides has a rich activist record. It has been owned by an organisation monitoring the activity of utmost right groups, which he co-creates with a group of scientists and politicians of various left parties. In 2021, disappointed by the way president Macron's camp treated the public sector, she co-founded the goal of redefining the state policy in this area collective Nos Services Publics (Our Public Services).
Castets itself declares that public service sanitization is her individual ambition and will be 1 of the priorities of her government. However, it can express very clear views besides on another subjects, especially in the field of economics. W interview for the economical weekly “La Tribune” sceptically commented on the excessive deficit procedure that the European Union has taken over France and announced that it will search a major fiscal reform. It would consist primarily of expanding taxation progress, so that by 2027 up to EUR 150 billion could be contributed to the state budget to finance the promised social projects of the fresh People's Front.
Castets besides wants a withdrawal carried out 2 years ago by Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne of the pension reform. French media describe her as a feminist and a supporter of climate change. On the subjects of controversy within the left-wing Castets alliance, which itself identifies itself as representing the "centre" of the NFP, it presents balanced views, in line with the compromise agenda of the coalition – for example, in the face of the conflict in the Gaza Strip there is no problem with the designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization (which is hard for many Melanchon organization politicians), while demanding the cessation of Palestinian civilians' actions by Israel's armed forces.
Macron won't share power?
By Investigations 41% of the French think that Emmanuel Macron should appoint Castets as Prime Minister (the other conviction was 58%). This is little than half of the respondents, but inactive much more than the support for any of the political camps, and more than the percent of approval for Macron himself. It seems that by choosing a young, unknown wider audience of Castets, the French left was based on the desire to exposure a individual with little utmost emotions than the NFP itself and its charismatic but polarizing leaders. As an excellently educated economist (she studied among others at the London School of Economics and in the elite Ecole Nationale d’Administration), who ate her teeth in public service, the politician is besides expected to make an impression of credibility and expertise, which is peculiarly crucial in the face of allegations of the renaissance of the left's economical program.
Despite this, Castets had already become the subject of attacks by the French right. The first controversy was caused by the fact that by deciding to tour the country in order to build support for her candidacy, a politician employed in the capital city hall decided to take her paid leave. This angered the politicians of the far right who even decided to bring a announcement to the D.A., but the applicant herself accepted the charges calmly, explaining that her situation did not rise any legal controversy. any besides accuse her of being unprofitable, quoting that this year – in the course of her function as Finance manager of Paris City Hall – the city's debt increased by EUR 600 million, from 8.2 to 8.6 billion.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron, whose constitution of 1958 gives full freedom to nominate “his first minister”, in an interview with France 2 showed skepticism towards the candidacy of Castets. He explained that he was not curious in the character itself, but in the deficiency of a unchangeable majority willing to support it. specified an argument seems paradoxical adequate that for the last 2 years Macron relied on number governments, first Elisabeth Borne, then Gabriel Attal. However, the president believes that his legitimacy to conduct his own imagination of politics applies until the end of his word at the Elysée Palace, and all indicates that he does not intend to quit power or even share it. ‘Le Parisien’ statesthat at the head of his government Macron will put “someone who has no ambition, especially at 2027 [date of the next presidential election]”. It would be in his interest to have a broad agreement, taking into account the average organization of the right and left, but without France of the Insubordinate Melanchon. specified a solution would be equivalent to the dissolution of the fresh People's Front and would warrant a dominant function for the President.
Coalition with Macronists excluded
It is possible that Castets would be acceptable to part of the presidential camp, but the curious organization herself powerfully excludes any form of coalition with macronists. Both she and the organization leaders behind her realize that specified an agreement would mean the bankruptcy of the fresh People's Front task and would support the far right, which could without hindrance present itself as the only fair opposition to Macro's policy. Instead, Castets suggeststhat her government will be ready to search the majority of the bill after the bill, working with everyone outside the Marine Le Pen environment, and at the same time allowing participation in the legislative process of social organizations and trade unions. specified a model is intended to let for a change in the current "vertical" governance system, where the most crucial decisions are frequently made by the president of the Republic alone.
In the absence of an agreement with the Macronists, the argument about the legitimacy of the largest parliamentary group to form a government seems to be the strongest card left to play. However, specified a communicative could fall very rapidly in a situation where the right-wing Republicans would agree to a joint candidate with the presidential faction, which together would give them about 220 votes. We have already had a akin mechanics on the occasion of the elections for the president of the National Assembly, who was won by Yaël Braun-Pivet, who, after the first circular of voting, was preceded by a joint candidate from the left. This was due to Republicans who, in the past tenure, repeatedly threw Macro a lifeline.
In fresh days the name Xavier Bertrand, president of the Hautes-de-France region, political veteran and average Republican politics, known for their harsh criticism of National Unity and Marine Le Pen, have increasingly been named in the context of the nomination. From the centre-right community and now associated with the Macron movement, Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin statedthat Bertrand as Prime Minister could "use France enormously". Apart from him, there is besides talk of a possible nomination for Michel Barnier and Gérard Larcher, equally experienced Gaullist politicians, as well as erstwhile socialists (he left the organization in opposition to the alliance with Melanchon's group) Bernard Cazeneuve.
If Macron – and all this points to it – will not agree to the establishment of Castets, the left will be in a dramatic choice: either a part of it will decide on 1 or another form of cooperation with the President, losing all credibility, or for the next 4 years it will stay in opposition to the centre-right government, risking accusations of losing the historical chance and escaping work at a critical minute for the country. It is very possible that the painful decision to elect a joint prime minister candidate was much easier than those that the French left will gotta take in the coming weeks.
